Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Powerhouse of Emerging Talent Hits the Road

Be prepared to meet a powerhouse of emerging
talent as three debut writers hit the road in March touring the lower North
Island, meeting new readers and talking about writing.

At each stop-off, local writers – including
Pat White, Tim Upperton, Marty Smith, Tina Makereti, Helen Heath, and Lynn
Jenner – will join the tour to read from their work. The writers expect some
lively discussion to come out of these gatherings.

‘We want these events to inspire people, and
get them talking not just about our work, but about the fantastic new writing
that’s being made in New Zealand at present,’ says Kirsten McDougall, author of
The Invisible Rider (VUP, 2012).

The three writers conceived of the tour as a
way to take their work to an audience beyond Wellington.

‘As first time writers, our work is largely
unknown,’ says Pip Adam, author of Everything
We Hoped For (VUP, 2010). ‘We weren’t content to sit around and wait. We
wanted to get out of Wellington and meet new readers ourselves.’

Ashleigh Young, author of Magnificent Moon (VUP, 2012), says: ‘I
think writers can have a hard time getting out of their comfort zones. But as
with any job you love, it’s good to break the routine and emerge from the cave
now and then.’

The three writers have made impressive starts
to their careers. Adam was recently awarded a 2012 NZ Arts Foundation New
Generation Award. McDougall and Young have received rave reviews for their
first books and were both included the NZ
Listener Best Books of 2012 review.

The Rocky Outcrop Writers Tour is funded by
Creative New Zealand. Admission is free. All welcome.